


Life's a Movie

by justsomebucky



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cheesy, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Language, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-07
Updated: 2018-05-07
Packaged: 2019-05-03 09:21:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14565936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justsomebucky/pseuds/justsomebucky
Summary: AU. You and your best friend Bucky watch a romcom together, but something just doesn’t sit right with him.





	Life's a Movie

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a writing challenge. Prompt is in bold.

It was a Netflix and sit around with your best friend, Bucky Barnes, kind of night.

There was this one romcom that you’d been wanting to see since you missed it in the theater, and since it was your turn to pick the movie you immediately chose _The Fireman’s Best Friend._

“Is it a movie about a Dalmatian?” Bucky asked, flopping down on the couch beside you as the movie started.

“Why on earth would it be about a Dalmatian?” You made a face at him before turning your attention back to the screen.

“Because the title says ‘best friend,’ and dogs are man’s best friend.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Well, yeah.”

“So where’s your dog then? And what am I?”

Bucky laughed, making himself comfortable as he slouched against the couch cushions and put his feet up on your coffee table. “You know what I mean.”

“Just watch it, all right?”

Nothing about its description or preview seemed all that enticing now that it was available to watch, but you couldn’t back down now, not with the teasing mood Bucky was in.

The two protagonist-slash-best friends were Tessa, a kindergarten teacher, and Diego, the aforementioned fireman. They met one day when Diego came to talk to her class about fire safety and ended up exchanging numbers, though they never pushed their relationship beyond friendship. 

Which, of course, was utterly stupid, considering anyone else could see how in love they were. It was so frustrating you wanted to smack them both.

After about thirty minutes of watching quietly and only occasionally stealing your popcorn, Bucky started fidgeting in his seat.

“What?” you asked sharply, glancing at him for a second.

“This movie is…a little ridiculous, don’t you think?”

“Which part?”

“The arguing. They fight too much to be compatible.”

“It’s banter, Bucky. It’s what happens right before they’re unable to resist each other anymore. They are teasing… _flirting_ even…” Your voice trailed off. The plot was slowly improving, and you didn’t want to miss anything after Tessa saw Diego with a date at the local coffee shop.

Bucky said something else, but you blocked out his voice as Tessa’s face fell and she rushed away from the shop. Diego looked up just in time to see her turn and run, but when he tried to call Tessa she sent him right to voicemail.

Something was gonna go down soon, you just knew it.

Diego tried a few more times to call, but ended up texting her instead.

_‘Tess, please answer your phone!’_

_‘Leave me alone, Diego!’_

_‘I have to talk to you, please! Why are you ignoring me?'_

“Because you tried to hook up with someone else, idiot,” you muttered, pulling a blanket over your legs and curling closer to Bucky without realizing. “Don’t you know how bad that made her feel to see that?”

He glanced at you, brows furrowing a little, then turned his attention back to the TV.

The movie progressed a little further, with Tessa letting go of her resentment to go on a picnic with Diego. The banter was _thisclose_ to leading somewhere a little steamier.

_“Are you ever going to tell me why you were jealous of Maria?” Diego asked._

_Tessa immediately got defensive. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”_

“Yes, she does,” Bucky commented dryly. “She just told everyone else she knows about it. Except, of course, Diego, the one person she should be telling.”

You ignored him, because the movie was getting sooo good.

_“Come on, Tess,” Diego pleaded, playfully tweaking her nose. “You’re my best friend, you can tell me anything.”_

_Tessa stood up. “There’s nothing to tell, D, you’re imagining things.” She turned away, crossing her arms over her chest protectively as she stared out over the nearby tree line._

_Diego stood too, and put his arm around her, which she immediately ducked away from._

_“Stop it,” she snapped. “You’re being ridiculous.”_

_“Just say it. Say you have feelings for me.”_

_“I don’t!”_

_“You do so, and we should talk about it!”_

_Her eyes were wild now. “Just shut up, Diego!”_

_“That’s no way to talk to your bes-“_

**_“Shut up!”_ **

_Diego took two steps forward, his eyes locked on hers. **“Make me,”** he told her, giving her a wink. _

_Tessa’s expression changed then, as realization washed over her._

“That’s definitely ridiculous. That would never work in real life,” Bucky protested, throwing a piece of popcorn at the screen. “Such utter bullshit.”

“Can you not?” you asked, sighing heavily for effect. “If you don’t want to watch it, Buck, you’re free to go to your own apartment.”

“Well now I have to see what kind of contrived ending they come up with.”

You wouldn’t admit it to him, but you were enjoying the extra cheese in the movie. It was nice to live vicariously through fiction when your own romantic life was at a total standstill. In fact, you spent most of your time with Bucky, that’s how freaking single you were.

As the movie went on, you pondered your own situation. There was a time when maybe you once thought you had a teeny tiny crush on Bucky, but you never told a single soul, especially not him.

Okay, maybe it was more than a crush. 

Maybe one time in a brief moment of insanity, you went so far as to imagine your last name changing to Barnes. Maybe once you wondered what kind of house the two of you would get, and if your kids would be friends with your other friend Steve’s kids.

As for Bucky…he didn’t notice you, ever. If he saw a shift in the way you were around him back then, he never brought it up. He went on dates sometimes, leaving you alone in the evening to wallow in your aloneness. It would have been nice for something to have happened between you, but it just wasn’t meant to be.

Come to think of it, though, he hadn’t gone on any dates lately, which was absurd. He was far too handsome to stay home every night with you.

Maybe he felt bad for you…that was worse yet. You sunk down further under the blanket, trying not to let your own messy feelings detract from the movie.

_Tessa finally opened the door to reveal Diego, in his fireman gear minus the hat, standing before her with a strange expression on his face._

_"Why are you here?"_

_His voice was low and full of passion when he answered. "Because, Tessa…I didn’t want to head off to this four-alarm fire without making sure you weren’t mad at me."_

_She blinked in confusion._ _“What? A four-alarm fire?”_

_“The abandoned warehouse on Fifth Street is burning. It’s going to be dangerous. I have to go, but before I do…"_

You leaned forward, heartbeat increasing as Diego gently cupped Tessa’s cheek, his thumb stroking her skin as he stared into her eyes. She didn’t pull away, so Diego took that as a good time to kiss her, leaning her backwards a little for a more dramatic flair.

_“It’s not enough…never enough,” she murmured to Diego, stroking his face tenderly. “Be safe, love. Come back to me.”_

“Ugh,” Bucky groaned beside you. “That’s not how it would happen at all.”

“ _Oh my god!_ ” You glared at him, feeling your frustration getting worse. “What is your major malfunction? What is so hard for you to understand about the movie? It’s _fiction,_ Bucky, of course it’s unrealistic.”

“The situation isn’t,” he clarified. “I mean, that definitely happens between friends sometimes. Just, the way they went about it was weird.”

You turned your gaze back to the screen, but the credits were already rolling.

Your head fell back against the cushion in defeat.

“For instance,” Bucky continued, not noticing your mood. “The second someone realizes they love someone, they ought to tell them…you know, if neither are taken that is.”

“Is that so?” you asked, rubbing your eyes. If he had a point, he should probably get there soon.

“Yeah, don’t you think?” He looked at you expectantly.

You opened your eyes and tilted your head toward him, feeling very tired all the sudden. “I wouldn’t know, Buck.”

His brows furrowed again, ever-so-slightly. “You mean to tell me that if you ever had a guy who was perfect for you, right in front of you, that you wouldn’t be straightforward about your feelings?”

“Okay, let’s assume that would ever happen. What about me would lead you to believe that I would ever speak up?” you asked him, raising an eyebrow. “You know me well enough to know that I automatically assume everyone is just tolerating me.”

“Even me?”

“Especially you,” you laughed, shrugging one shoulder.

Bucky had the courtesy to look a little troubled by your remark.

“Anyway.” You set the blanket on the couch beside you and stood, stretching your limbs before they fell asleep. “Like you said, it’s all a little bit much.”

“Now, hold on a second,” he said, standing up with you, his gaze locked on the Netflix menu as if it held all the answers. “Tessa told Diego that she didn’t have feelings for him when she really did.”

You froze in place. What was he trying to get at? 

“It’s just a movie, Buck.”

Before he could see your horrified expression, you turned and wandered into the kitchen for a glass of water. Unfortunately, he followed you.

“You said banter was flirting, right?” he asked, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

“Not always,” you replied weakly, taking a long sip of water. “Sometimes it’s just banter.”

“But in cases like that, when two people like or maybe love each other?”

You chugged all the water in the glass, but unfortunately he was still staring at you, waiting for an answer. With a sigh, you set the glass down. “In their case, yes.”

Bucky nodded, turning to lean his hip against the counter beside you. “Okay so let’s think this through. What if you have banter with someone and it makes you feel… _electrified_?”

“Electrified?” you repeated, staring at him blankly. You tried to think back to which of his dates could have possibly been witty enough to make him use that word, but you had nothing.

“Yeah, like…like arguing with them or having comebacks to their jabs…it’s fun, you know, it makes you feel alive. Don’t you ever feel that way?” There was ghost of a smile on his face, though he looked like he was reminiscing in his head.

Yeah, you sure did. There were lots of times when you would send Bucky something just to get him riled up. It was fun. Friends did that sort of thing.

“But it’s more than friendship, you know,” he continued, as if reading your thoughts. “More than banter. It’s _knowing_ someone. It’s like you know that person so well they become your other half. The days you aren’t beside them turn out to be terrible, and you end up loving every moment you spend with them, even if it takes you a while to realize it.”

“Now you sound like Diego,” you laughed, trying to move past him to go sit down again.

He stopped you though, with a gentle hand on your arm. 

You looked at him in confusion.

“You never answered me, Y/N.” His blue eyes bore into yours, and you suddenly forgot the question.

“Um…”

Bucky was making you flustered now, and by the look on his face he knew it. That irritated you endlessly.

“No,” you lied, shaking your head. “Sorry. Don’t know what that’s like either.”

“ _Bullshit_ ,” he shot back softly, gently trying to tug you closer. When you refused to move from your spot, he stood upright and moved closer to you.

“Did you have some drinks before you came over here?” you inquired, squinting at him. “You’re not yourself.”

The corner of his mouth lifted as he took another step into your personal space. “What do you think was the final straw for Diego and Tessa to cross the line from friendship to more?”

“Well, the script, Bucky. It was in the script.”

Bucky shook his head. “Hilarious. You know what I mean.”

“Tessa had established her attraction to him,” you said finally, after a little contemplation. “She made it obvious and he took advantage.”

“Took advantage, or called her out on it?” His brows lifted in question.

Were Bucky’s eyes always this blue? God, they were like the ocean right now, with stormy grey flecks for emphasis.

“I think,” he continued, “that there are different ways of being obvious about your feelings.”

“Oh?” That was all you could manage.

Your stomach was churning, and while you pondered whether you were nauseated or had butterflies, Bucky somehow managed to slide his hand up to your jawline, grasping it gently between his thumb and forefinger.

Maybe they were nauseated butterflies?

“They should have gone slower,” he murmured, his breath warm as it fanned out over your features. “He should have taken his time to make sure there was a solid foundation. Maybe the real sign of mutual attraction is if, when confronted with the shift in friendship, neither person pulls away.”

Your heart was racing now. So many warnings and alarms were going off in your brain, which only confirmed that he was challenging you.

This was really happening.

How could he? And just to make fun of something on freaking Netflix?

“It’s not funny, Bucky,” you protested softly as your expression fell. “This isn’t a good way to prove how dumb a movie is.”

That made him pull back a little, a look of surprise in his eyes. “I – Y/N, I’m not – “

You took advantage of his momentary confusion, backing away from his grasp. “You can’t just play with someone’s feelings for your own entertainment.”

Bucky looked genuinely regretful. “I didn’t mean to… _wait_.”

Your eyes widened as you realized what you said.

Oh, _shit_.

His face brightened right back up. “Feelings? Did you say feelings?”

“No.”

 _Yes_.

Your cheeks and ears grew warm as you once again tried to get past him.

Instead, he laughed and pulled you into a tight hug, which you immediately squirmed out of.

“Stop it!”

“No! Just say what you need to say, Y/N!” He was grinning now, that fucker.

You tried to put that sarcastic protective wall back up. “I don’t have anything to say. It’s called being quiet. You should try it sometime.”

“No, no, no.” Bucky shook his head. “You’re not getting out of this one. It’s out there now.”

You huffed. “Nothing’s ‘ _out there_ ,’ you’re imagining things because of a movie!”

“No, I’m not.”  

“Stop grinning at me!”

“I’m just using your words, Y/N. Admit your _feelings_ , then.”

“I just _told you,_ there’s _nothing_ –“

“Yes there is!”

“Just shut up, Bucky! _Shut up_!”

That…inadvertently paraphrasing the movie wasn’t the best way to get him to stop.

His grin softened to an amused look as he moved forward again, his eyes locked on yours. You felt frozen in place as the mood around you shifted.

Bucky cornered you against the counter again, though this time he wasn’t blocking your escape. He was letting you decide.

You could run for it, and forever deny what you were feeling…

… _or_ you could stay and see what might happen. You didn’t get to see the end of the movie, after all.

Taking a move from Diego himself, Bucky reached up and cupped your cheek, brushing his thumb against your skin in a gentle caress. Your breath was shallow now, and you knew what would be next if you would just allow it to happen.

What would be so bad about letting it happen? It was pretty obvious that you still had feelings for him.

And he clearly had interest in you, now, even if it took watching a stupid movie for him to see it. Maybe it was meant to be. There was only one way to find out, and if you didn’t take that chance you’d regret it.

 **“Shut up,”** you repeated, your voice playful this time. You shifted so your body was flush against his.

If that didn’t send an obvious signal, then maybe he wasn’t as intelligent as you previously thought.

Oh, but Bucky…sweet, handsome Bucky…your best friend in the entire world…

He smiled then, just a little. His eyes held a tease, a promise of what was on the horizon as he whispered back to you.

**“ _Make me_.”**

There would be only one way to get him to shut up now.

You leaned forward, brushing your lips against his timidly once, _twice_ …

Tessa was right, it was never enough.

That was the last thought you had before Bucky crushed his lips to yours, deepening the most toe-curling kiss you’d ever had in your entire life.

The two of you kissed until you were panting for breath, and when you finally parted, he rested his forehead against yours with a sheepish smile.

“Okay, you were right,” he relented, much to your amusement. “Maybe that movie wasn’t so bad after all.”


End file.
